Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

New friendships within and outside midd Past Review

By (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/21/2019 to 01/10/2020 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Madrid

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
gained new friendships with fellow students as well as my flatmates and their friends

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

However, finding an apartment was a huge struggle and a lot of my friends had roommate horror stories from the ones they were able to find. I was very rare to have a great apartment with great people.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

However, again this was a very rare thing. Most people had little to no Spanish friends. I was only able to make friends because of my roommates in my apartment.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Had freedom but still was strongly encouraged to follow program requirements

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? way too much
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? go food shopping

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 300
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? live in an apartment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • my new friends
  • living in an accessible city
  • traveling around Europe
* What could be improved?
  • class times
  • apartment search process
  • orientation
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew how to budget better

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Blogging in Spain
Course Department:
Instructor: Figueroa
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Great at explaining. Learned grammar concepts as we went along
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

European Union
Course Department:
Instructor: Seijo
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: Lectures didn't have much to do with written assignments so I didn't pay attention as much as I should've. Strongly recommend advising people to have some sort of background in Econ before taking this course as I didn't understand several complicated economic concepts, especially in Spanish
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Advanced Grammar
Course Department:
Instructor: Del Valle
Instruction Language: Spanish
Comments: fine class, stressful but knowledgeable professor, awful schedule. They tell us to integrate with Spanish culture and eat at like 10:30pm but then have us wake up at 7 to go to a super early Spanish class. My mind was never focused enough.
Credit Transfer Issues: